High School Secrets. ERL AW24

February 7, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

There’s just that special “something” about ERL. For autumn-winter 2024, Eli Russell Linnetz returned to his favorite medium, the theatrical lookbook, and told another twisted story around his favorite theme: Californian adolescence. The context for this one was a Venice Beach high school during the late 1990s, and the designer obviously had great fun relating his characters to costumes and then sublimating those into clothes. The care that goes into his storytelling is highly impressive, but just as gripping are the care and details written into the garments. Linnetz was extra stoked to be showing sherpa-lined cotton-jersey pieces that were LA produced for the first time “because that’s our artisanship.” A carefully frayed California souvenir shirt and a washed-cotton combat chino with slyly referential ERL labeling were both close to ideal examples of their relative forms. A group of punk-y, grunge-y pieces hand-fashioned by Linnetz were genius bits of fantasy, just like the adapted vintage items. The collection ended with The-Virgin-Suicides-esque prom couple. The feeling of nostalgia orchestrated by Linnetz is never just for the aesthetics; it leaves you in a certain, hard-to-describe mood of suspense and uncertainty of what happens next.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Streamlined. Toteme AW24

February 6, 2024February 6, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

I’ve never really put my finger on Toteme until its first runway show in Paris presented during the last haute couture week. In the words of the Swedish brand’s creative directors Elin Kling and Karl Lindman, the autumn-winter 2024 line-up is “designed for real-life situations”, and it certainly delivered such hero-pieces. Toteme is all about feminine minimalism that sits somewhere between The Row, Khaite and Fforme, but at (a bit) more affordable price point. The strong-shouldered silhouettes play out best with masculine-inspired outerwear and tailoring, offset with sheer knits and streamlined, soirée dresses – creating a subdued yet self-assured effect. Texture comes to the fore with shearling, cashmere, wool bouclé and feather-like fil-coupé, all rendered in restrained colourways. The pieces are familiar yet elevated enough to make the brand seem right at home as it took its first steps on the Parisian circuit.

And now here are a couple of Toteme pieces you can get right now…

ED’s SELECTION:

The Mid Heel Croc-effect Leather Ankle Boots

Embroidered Silk Shirt

Draped Fringed Wool-blend Jacket

Croc-effect Leather Knee Boots

Organic Denim Skirt

Striped Organic Cotton-blend Mini Dress

The Peep-toe Satin Point-toe Flats

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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It All Makes Perfect Sense. Alaïa AW24

January 25, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

The latest Alaïa collection is about simplicity and purity. It’s about intimacy, about reducing to an essence, about finding a freedom and invention in that. At the same time, Pieter Mulier managed to keep it sensual and tactile, not brutally minimal. The entire autumn-winter 2024 collection was created using a single merino wool yarn, reinvented over and again with the maison’s textile and knitwear suppliers, who have worked with Azzedine Alaïa, the late designer and his brand, for decades. Mulier’s take on the part-ready-to-wear, part-haute–couture collection is predominantly based on the curve, on the circle – the curves of women, and circles of friends, of chosen family, an idea essential to the essence of Alaïa. “For this show, I wanted to bring us all together, to view everything up close – close together, close to the clothes“. Draped tops fell asymmetrically in supremely elegant folds; minimalist skirts and dresses were looped and wrapped, sarong-like, to show a leg. A black jumpsuit seemed to be made of one continuous piece, gathered into a halter in front, leaving the back bared. Knitted turtleneck tabard sweaters showed slivers of naked torsos in passing. “I love that you’re covered, you’re covered completely – but then you show something”, the designer mused. The two-storied show space integrated the collection with design objects that are signifiers of the Alaïa boutique on rue de Marignan: the Pelota lamps, created by Marc Newson, and the Mollo sofas by Philippe Malouin. It all made sense.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Stripped Back. The row AW24

January 23, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

From one side, it’s a great pity The Row isn’t on New York Fashion Week’s schedule. From the other side, their presence in Paris in that brief moment between menswear and haute couture just works so well. Moving their operations here, they surely breathe down the local “minimal” brands’ necks. This season, Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen delivered a very stripped back collection that did the talking through sublime tailoring, sculptural silhouettes and a mostly-black color palette. A short, contoured jacket worn with a slim pant and rounded pumps; a dress belted for waist emphasis (and bright red tights for leg emphasis); an ultra-smooth, leaned-out leather jacket; a three-button jacket, wingtip tuxedo shirt and trousers that slightly recalibrate how we envision the brand. Even new bags were downsized and compact. What might this say about where the Olsen are in their lives? An evolving style? A changing relationship with the body? One answer could be that there are considerations towards an ever-changing wardrobe – one that accommodates greater ways of dressing while maintaining maximum ease.

Some The Row pieces that are on my mind right now…

ED’s SELECTION:

Simon Leather Gloves

Moon Oversized Cotton-poplin Shirt

Tasseled Leather Loafers

Leather Waist Belt

Bartelle Grain De Poudre Wool And Mohair-blend Maxi Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Men’s – On Masculinity. Valentino AW24

January 22, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Valentino guests sat on bright blue benches that stood out against the gilded decor. But those expecting a runway awash in cerulean were in for a surprise. Rather than leaning into gender stereotypes, Pierpaolo Piccioli used the color as a starting point for a conversation about masculinity. “This collection is a reflection about men’s identity today without talking about gender, but talking about the way men today can be more gentle, more graceful,” he explained in a preview. “When you break the rules from inside, you can be more subtle and more subversive.” Oversize suits, relaxed outerwear and sweeping coats came in sober shades of black, navy and gray. Piccioli said he wanted his suit jackets, which had no buttons, to feel as comfy as cardigans. Pants were inspired by the suit proportions of the ’40s – cropped and slouchy, yet elegant. Piccioli’s statement was so quiet as to be almost inaudible. This served the collection, as it was a much-needed moment of tranquility after a long menswear fashion month and the haute couture week starting… today. Who makes these crazy schedules?

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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